Villas of the Month

Up & Down the Coast

Welcome to the monthly newsletter from Sac-Be.com, your source for news, maps and travel information for the Riviera Maya and Costa Maya. If you have a news item, an event you'd like to promote, an article of interest or a comment to make please email us at info@sac-be.com. Enjoy!

We don't want to jinx it, but the weather has been so cold where we are - South Carolina, of all places - that, as a topic of conversation, it rivals the economy. Here's hoping that warmth will find you soon, wherever you may be.

On a less upbeat note, I'm sure most of you are aware of the horrible press Mexico has been getting of late in the US media, especially since our State Department issued a travel alert for Mexico. Save from trying to put the drug-related violence in perspective for our readers, we don't know what else we can do. The sad thing is that our (U.S.) geographically-challenged reporters and editors find it easier to paint all of Mexico with the same "blood red" brush than to point out the Yucatan Peninsula is far removed from the wild, wild west of the border cities. Please be sure to read and contribute to the Sac-Be blog, it's one small way we can help our friends along the Riviera Maya who rely on tourists from north of the border. By the way, we just received this statement/Q&A from the Mexico Tourism Board (PDF).

February Results

The "F" in February could also stand for: Four, Fabulous, Fundraisers in Akumal! Here is a little update on all 4 great events and great causes.

Starting off with Superbowl Sunday. The successful Superbowl fundraiser success it brought in 22,286 Pesos for the Akumal United Fund.

Laura Bush announced, “It was a special treat for me to be able to host the 7 kids who are currently receiving a Pablo Bush Romero Scholarship with a few of their mothers... The real winners will be the kids that will benfit from the money raised last night." Total raised: $22,438 pesos!

Slumdog Millionaire wasn't the only winner of the evening. The fundraiser brought in $562 US for the Frida Khalo Library.

The annual event enjoyed its forth year with lots of great activities and a Gala event on February 25 and 26. We have heard that the events went well. We have a few photos of the wine and cheese party Feb 25th. The Cheese table was compliments of Akumal Direct and photos were compliments of Marieke White.

Riviera Maya News

Lol Ha - Andres Somellera originally from Mexico City, has been named the new Food and Beverage Manager. He has 3 beautiful girls living in the US with their mother.

The Grades Are In - Melanie McField of Healthy Reefs informs us that the first EcoHealth Report Card for the Mesoamerican Reef finds most reefs are in poor to fair conditions and calls for stronger reef conservation measures to restore reef health. CEA participated in this process. Video in Spanish - Video in English

Driving Tips - We would once again like to suggest you check out The Akumalian for the update on local road conditions. They do a wonderful job of keeping us all informed. Scroll down to the end of March's Newsletter for details on Akumal's over pass, and road conditions from Tulum north.

Dive Tip of the Month

Tip - Having trouble sinking at the beginning of a dive? If you have found that your weights are great throughout the dive, but you just will not sink at the start of your dive, here is the trick. This common problem is usually caused the combination of three things - dry equipment, a little air left in the BCD and a lung-full of air keeping you buoyant.

Here is how to sink like a pro: After you enter the water, let some water into your wet suit if it is dry. Stop kicking and hold up the defeater as high as possible in order to let all the air out. Deflate your BCD with your body in a vertical position. As you deflate your BCD at the start of your dive, inhale deeply and relax into a slow long exhale (about an 8 count will do). Lastly, enjoy your descent into the blue!

Make every dive count when you Dive with Natalie and Ivan.

Fish of the Month

Sac-Be is grateful to Yibrán Aragon for sharing these wonderful fish images.

Of Special Interest

A Kayak Story by Ann Irvine - It is hard to believe that it has been 20 years since we drove our first kayak down to the beach at Xcacel. Back then, a kayak on the rooftop of a car was cause for people to stop and stare, especially if you were driving through the highlands of Chiapas and Veracruz as we did on our annual trips to the Xcacel and the Akumal area back in the late 80’s and early 90’s...

Accommodations

Sac-be offers free listing of properties along the Riviera Maya. If you would like to have your rental property listed please complete the form on our owner's page. Or, if you are interested in learning more about other advertising opportunities please contact us. The following vacation rental properties were recently listed:

Hotel Playa Sonrisa - Remember when PdC was tranquilo... Akumal was small... and Tulum was deserted? Step back in time to Playa Sonrisa.

Hacienda Dorothea - a spacious tropical villa in the exclusive area of Playacar, adjacent to Playa del Carmen, where up to eight family members or friends can stay together yet still enjoy their own privacy.

March 2009 - #14  

Hekab Be Biblioteca update - Our most exciting news for February is we not only met, but actually surpassed our challenge grant goal!! We are awed and amazed at the generosity of the many kind-hearted people who made donations to help us meet this challenge...

What is Montessori Preschool? Part 9 - From Oral to Written Language - The Montessori environment emphasizes spoken language as the foundation for all linguistic expression. Within a Montessori classroom the child hears and uses precise vocabulary for all activities, learning the names of textures, tastes, geometric figures, musical composers, plants, mathematical operations, etc. In addition, certain language learning materials are designed especially to support a child’s oral language development.

New Cybercafe in Akumal - Does anyone remember the old ice cream stand next to Lolha? It's been vacant for several years but is now home to Cyber Beach, offering Internet Access and other office-type services.

Q & A with Sac-Be

Question: We are traveling to Akumal's Half Moon Bay and do not want to snorkel where there will be many boats running around us. I did not know this was allowed?

Answer: NO, Half Moon Bay is a smaller bay and does not have boats running around. Only the dive shop has a boat there.

If you have a question for us please be sure to send it on – but remember to check your email address. We were unable to contact the person directly because their email kept bouncing back.

Peanut Pet Shelter - Last month, you may recall, we received 27 tons of calica (sand/gravel mix) to spread on the property...

Peanut Pet Shelter's 2009 Calendars are now available. They run from March 2009 - Feb 2010. They are available at the shelter as well as at Bad Boy's in Playa and and at their Bi-monthly Bazaars (every 1st and 3rd sunday of the month at Coffee Cafe on Ave 5 with Calle 34). Cost is a 200 Peso donation to the shelter. Also please note the new web address www.peanutpetshelter.org.

Urban Development Update - Since 2006 the community of Puerto Morelos started to work along with the Instituto de Planeacion del Desarrollo del Municipio de Benito Juarez (IMPLAN) (Institute of Development Planning) to update the Urban Development Program of Puerto Morelos (PDUPM). The community indicated the importance of having a sustainable development and to control low population density, due to the fragility of the ecosystems in the area (reef, mangrove, rainforest) and the karst nature of the soil.

Good Places to Eat In Tulum - This wonderful list was put together by Joelle on the Tulum.info board and the comments in red were added by AdGuy and updated by some other folks on this informative board.. We want to thanks these folks and recommend that board for those who are looking for info about Tulum.

The Puerto Aventuras Art Show is on every Sunday for the next 2 months. The hours are 12 am until 6 pm.

Akumal's 50th Anniversary Celebration - May 29 - 31. We'll keep you posted on developments.

Just Imagine Vacations, Inc is looking for participants who would like to be a part of the Women In Wellness: Fun and Fitness in Paradise trip October 24th – November 4th. If you have a program, workshop or class that you would like to add to our itinerary please contact lydia@justimagine.net.

New Yoga hours in Akumal